part 2

An introduction to dynamic range of motion warmup. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but over the next few days I will be sharing several videos that may give you some additional ideas to incorporate into your preparation.

Mark Bell from Super Training:

Pin back those shoulder blades. Try to pinch them together while pulling your chest up. Pull your shoulders down toward your hips while arching your middle and lower back.
This will help create stability and shorten how far you press. Imagine trying to make your flat bench look like a decline bench.

Keep those wrists straight! Trying to crush the barbell in your hands will giving you better leverage to press.
Get your legs under you by positioning them where they feel strong and stable. Then push/flex your quads like you're trying to lift your body off the bench.

Your legs will be tight throughout the entire movement. Some end up only flexing their legs when they press.
That's when your ass comes off the bench and you look like your having a seizure on the bench.

As you begin to lower the weight, start tucking your elbows in to your sides. This will have you pressing with better leverages and reduce stress on your shoulders.
Don't tuck your elbows in to your sides too much at the start-only as you're lowering the bar.

Bench off your nipples. Nah, they won't get chaffed ... they may get hard though!
Take the weight out of the rack and let it "drift" toward your sternum before starting your descent. The barbell should be even with your lower pecs/nipples before you begin lowering.

When the bar touches your T-shirt, it should be a little lower than your nips.

Push the barbell away from you by flexing your lats. You know that lat spread you hit every morning after logging on to Bodybuilding.com?
Come on, dude: Don't lie! You know you flex every morning before and after your shower.

(After the shower is the best because the heat from the water gets the veins cranking, although staring down some serious shrinkage is a tough way to start your day.)

Anyway! When you flex your lats like you would when hitting your lat spread-that's how you need to flex your lats out of the bottom position of the bench press.

When it's time to press the weight, push it up with everything you got. Simple enough, right? Don't lose sight of this.
You now have a lot to remember, but above all else, being strong has a lot to do with showing up and working your ass off.

Drive your head into the bench to finish off the press.
Lastly, change stuff up a bunch. Don't do regular benches every week. Try partial-range-of-motion presses out of a rack, where it's about half the distance of a regular bench.
Try benching with a 2-second pause on the chest. Try benching off a phone book or some boards.

Throw in some close-grip work. Rotate a few exercises around from one week to the next and watch your numbers take off.

Most important, get yourself tight!


Jim Wendler from EliteFTS, author of the hugely popular 5/3/1

• Your shoulder blades must be pushed back, and your chest must be spread throughout 
the bench press. If you’re benching without the aid of a bench shirt, most of the bar 
weight (and your bodyweight) should be supported by your upper back. This will help 
keep the bar from touching too low. It will ensure that you don’t lose your tightness, and 
that you’ll be pressing from a strong bottom position. 
• Your lower back should be arched and kept that way. This does not mean you lift your 
butt off the bench. 
• Again, do NOT lift your butt off the bench. This bears repeating.
• Foot placement is up to you, but make sure they’re in a solid and strong position. I like to 
place my feet back slightly toward the head of the bench, and I assume a stance that’s 
narrow enough to allow my legs to squeeze the bench. As I press up, I drive my heels 
into the ground and squeeze my legs, picturing all the energy from my legs and hips 
driving into the bar. This is “leg drive.” Think about squatting the weight up. 
• Grip width is also up to you. Over the years, I’ve found that a narrow grip is a little 
healthier in the long run than a wider grip. My grip is around 18” between index fingers. 
This may limit my weights in the short term, but it’ll ensure that I won’t have any pec or 
shoulder problems in the long run. It’s better to press today and tomorrow than just to 
press today. 
• As soon as the bar is in your hands, make sure your lower and upper back are arched, 
your feet are firmly on the floor, and your hands are wrapped tightly around the bar. 
• I like to take a large breath and force it into my diaphragm before lifting the bar off. This 
helps me feel stronger and more stable when I get the bar. A strong and easy lift-off is a 
great way to improve your lift and your mental state. Again, don’t “wimp” the bar off the 
rack. 
• Don’t use a lift-off partner when you train. Use this only for maximal attempts. 
• I usually hold my breath for the first 2-3 reps of every set. This is hard to do, but it 
ensures good technique and you won’t lose tightness. 
• If you’re using a closer grip like I do, the bar will touch higher on the body than it will with 
a wider grip – usually hitting just below my nipples. If you use a wider grip, the bar will hit 
slightly lower. 
• Because you’ll be hitting higher on the chest with a closer grip, the bar will travel only 
slightly back toward your face. This is because you’ve already started the press closer to 
your head than you would have with a wider grip. 
• With a wider grip, this path will be more pronounced because you’re hitting your chest 
lower. This will trace a “C” motion. 
• Keep your elbows tucked on the way down. This doesn’t mean they should be tucked 
into your sides. A slight tuck will suffice. If you tuck too hard, you’ll lose power off the 
bottom of the lift. This is where most people get stuck. 
• Once you touch your chest, keep your elbows tucked and drive the bar back slightly. 
About halfway up, allow your elbows to flare out, and keep pushing up and back.

_I know many of you who train would love to have your own place one day. I was you not long ago but I jumped and got my own and did my thing. My buddy Craig did the same not too long ago. Here is his story...


A quick history of Michigan Kettlebells Strength & Training Center.....I'm a full time firefighter / paramedic, I work 10 or 11, 24 hr shifts a month, which allows me to have time for a part-time job. I had a few crappy ones, so one day I decided that I have worked enough crappy jobs in my life and I was now, done with that. If I'm going to work a second job, why not work for myself, doing something I love. So a few years back, I decided that I would own a gym "one day". I knew I wanted it to be hardcore, I found thee Underground Strength Coach Zach Even-Esh, on the internet and turned my garage into an underground gym, with kettlebells, sandbags, logs, homemade sleds and started training myself and any of my friends that would come over to train (which didn't happen very often). I made a website and put some videos and pictures on it, of me and my friends working out......and millions of people watched them on YouTube and I became an internet millionaire......Actually, for all practical purposes nobody watched them, no money. I kept reading, watching videos, and buying info products. Let me go back some years, I had already talked a good game about starting my own business more than once....a lot of talking and little action = no sales. My internet mentor, Zach Even-Esh announced he was having a 2 day seminar, called the How To Kick Ass (HTKA) seminar with some other dude, I never heard of before, Paul Reddick, they said it would be life changing, so I went, and it was. There was 25 other strength coaches, most of them owned gyms, or at least were personal trainers that were actually training people for money. I was none of those, I felt like I snuck in. It was awesome to be around and actually meet people who I followed on the internet. I decided that weekend, I was going to focus on kettlebells, and actually bought the URL MichiganKettlebells.com on a lunch break, at the seminar. I came home and sought out arguably the best kettlebell instructor in the country, Ken Blackburn, co-founder of the IKFF, who happens to be a fellow Michigander. I became a Certified Kettlebell Teacher through the IKFF, and asked Ken if he ever needed any help (as in grunt work) setting up, any workshops, certifications, competitions, to let me know and I would be there. He actually called me to assist him on multiple CKTs, which has been a great honor for me.....I still wasn't training anybody, because I never asked anybody. I wanted to have my own gym, but with no clients and no money, it wasn't happening. I decided I was going to teach a body weight conditioning class at my city's parks and rec. I went and pitched my class, knowing they would love the idea....and nothing, they rejected it, which was a blessing in disguise. So I felt sorry for myself, and for a moment felt like "well at least I tried". I decided that I was going to teach a summer boot camp class in a park 2 blocks from my house. So I finally made a web page for the URL I bought at the seminar and started advertising it on Facebook, and holy shit people actually signed up and payed money. I loaded up my wife's Dodge Nitro with kettlebells, sandbags, tire sleds, suspension trainers, sledgehammers and drove them over to the park. So after the fourth workout, I decided that I wanted my own place and I signed a lease (I had been checking out places for almost a year, but it was like driving through a nice neighborhood and thinking "one day") I took the money I made from the boot camp and rolled the dice.

We had our grand opening on Sept 29th, 2011. I had 6 members from the boot camp that signed up and paid for the year. October 1st was the first class, 2 people that had come to the opening signed up. Then nothing, I thought the people would be pouring in, we had a ton of great feedback at the open house, I put ads in 2 local papers and set up and email opt in for a free movement screen and workout. Many people have opted in, but never set up their appointment, or some set up, and then never showed up, and the ones that showed up, loved it, gave great feedback, and big smiles on their faces and then....they disappeared. Those are the really frustrating ones, is it me? Do I just suck?....No I don't, I always said before this place isn't for everybody, all of the prospects were nice, but most, it wasn't a good fit for either of us. When you have a lease, insurance and utilities to pay with virtually no cash reserves (not the smartest when opening a business, but sometimes you just have to say "what the fuck" and go for it) you just want anybody to sign-up, but if the wrong people sign-up, it can be a drag on the whole group, then it would not be fun for anyone, and the people you want, might leave. So who do I want? Thats a problem with many businesses, they never define their target market, they try to get everyone, and end up with very few. So back to my question, who do I want? I want the washed-up or nearly washed-up workout guy/gal, but still has a flame burning deep inside, they want to kick ass again. They want to be at all of the workouts, because they don't want to let themselves or the group down. So far that is what I have, and I am very thankful for that.

I know January and February are the big months when people join gyms, but I needed people before the first of the year, so about a week before Thanksgiving I started running a promotion (mostly through Facebook) for a Holiday Boot Camp, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 4 weeks for $47, about half the price. I was reluctant to offer this, because I only wanted at minimum 3 month commitments, but I'm glad did. 5 people signed up for it. All of them look like they will be good fits. 2 people came back from the summer boot camp, 2 referrals from members, and one completely new guy. So now, I just need to get them signed up at the end of the 4 weeks. I'm will be running a similar promotion for January. Also my wife is going to start training women only in January. It will be a completely separate membership, She is going to do a 6 week boot camp, that will also focus on nutrition and smart food choices, 6 members, twice a week, $200. She is looking to get personal training clients from that. She loves the one-on-one.

Another very cool thing happening in January will be a IKFF Mobility and Kettlebell Sport Workshop taught by Ken Blackburn, that will be on Jan 7th 10 am at Michigan Kettlebells Strength & Training Center.

Craig Sylvester
www.michigankettlebells.com

This is the jerk balance, with band on ground for feedback. We can use something as a gauge on the floor to help us get that front foot out further, to get a better position for successful heavy jerks. You will see that I rarely get that front foot out, and as a result I lose my heavy jerks. This is a beneficial drill to help solve that issue.

Here is a good bit of advice I recently got on my clean & jerk, not the video below, but in general, its great advice from a keen eye and can help you if you notice your faults...

if i may give you some advice......on your clean...looked easy but try to be quicker under the bar...dont worry about riding it down so much....be quick to the bottom...and the jerk i think you are mentally relying too much on the press aspect...use your fuckin powerful hip drive...do a quick pop and drive your self under the bar pu that front foot out there farther...it is almost really no arm drive...it should be hips and drive down...watch vids of marcin dolega...he has a great jerk

Density Training and Climbing Method Sets, Reps and Percentages

 

Density Method

 

                                  Power……High Power…Power/Strength…Strength                                           

 

Low                         2x2, 70%/4x3        3x2, 75%/5x2          4x2, 80%/4x2            5x2, 85%/3x2

                                        (5 mins.)               (5 mins.)                (4 mins.)                  (3 mins.)

Medium                  2x2, 70%/6x3        3x2, 75%/5x3          4x2, 80%/6x2            5x2, 85%/4x2

                                    (7.5 mins.)            (6.25 mins.)               (6 mins.)                  (4 mins.)    

High                        2x2, 70%/8x3       3x2, 75%/10x2         4x2, 80%/8x2            5x2, 85%/6x2

                                       (10 mins.)             (10 mins.)               (8 mins.)                   (6 mins.)

Hypertrophy           2x2, 70%/4x6       3x2, 75%/4x5           4x2, 80%/4x4            5x2, 85%/4x3

   (Heavy)                        (6 mins.)              (6 mins.)                 (6 mins.)                  (6 mins.)

Hypertrophy           2x2, 70%/3x6       3x2, 75%/3x5           4x2, 80%/3x4            5x2, 85%/3x3

  (Medium)                   (4.5 mins.)            (4.5 mins.)              (4.5 mins.)               (4.5 mins.)                                                                            

 

 

                                                 Climbing Method

                                                                Top Weight

 

          ………...Warmup Sets………       Light    Medium   Heavy

 

3’s                                 65%--------70%--------75%----------80%------------85%-----------90%

 

2’s                65%-------70%--------75%--------80%-----------85%-----------90%-----------95%

 

1’s    65%----70%-------75%--------80%--------85%-----------90%-----------95%-----------100%

 

 

Combining the Methods by Weeks

 

      Density       Density    Climbing     Density      Density     Climbing

            1                  2               3                  4                 5                  6  

 

Low     70%/4x3          75%/5x2         80%/3             80%/4x2        85%/3x2             85%/2

 

Med.    70%/6x3         75%/5x3          85%/3             80%/6x2         85%/4x2            90%/2

 

High    70%/8x3         75%/10x2        95%/2             80%/8x2         85%/6x2           100%/1

 

A good friend of mine is a specialist in weight loss for bodybuilding, fighters, etc. this is something he sent me.    Ask questions for what you do not understand and be very serious and meticulous about your intake... here goes

one of the best ways to really shed some pounds would be with water manipulation. It works best for dudes 10lbs above weight or so.

he would have to cut his carbs but up everything else such as his fats and proteins but more so the proteins.

make sure he's still burning tons of calories, that's key

the carbs act like a sponge and soak up alot of his water so in a cutting phase, the body will fight to keep everyhting so no starchy breads, grains, and NO fruits especially. those fill your glycogen stores the quickest. 

This is only needed to be performed about 5-6 days out. You'll want him to cut out alot of his sodium too. Not too hard if he's eating clean, not extra spices or salts.

Here's what a sample week would look like if he were to have his weigh in on sat:

mon - friday up till noon- 50 g or less carbs/day total (breakfast should have the most) lean proteins and healthy fats through the day. Have him drink 3 - 6 gallons of distilled water - he should be peeing every 30 mins. This is harder than it sounds, make sure he's carrying around a water jug everywhere.

friday at noon - CUT OUT ALL water intake until after his weight in- he'll still be peeing like crazy or should be - now AFTER ALL WATER intake has been cut out, you can slowly have him start eating starchy carbs in each meal - spread them out throughout the day

i would be checking his weight everyday to see how he's dropping. It's different with everyone - you should see about 1.5 up to 3 lbs per day lost.

hope this helps bro

***the worst thing he can do is drink any water after friday at noon. that water will stick to him like a fly on shit.

Many people think that if it has been around for a while, it probably isn't good anymore. But in reality, some things are great just the way they are. Old school static stretching should not be demonized like some people do. It is quite possible the best way for some people to get any movement and gain range of motion in their joints. It simply helps me relax and when done regularly, it really helps me feel and perform better.